GAZETTE the Centre County
www.CentreCountyGazette.com
Prime time showdown
The Penn State football team will try to get back on the winning track when it hosts No. 13 Ohio State in a White Out game on Saturday. Find stats, rosters depth charts and more inside Gazette Gameday./Pages 15-18
October 23-29, 2014
Volume 6, Issue 43
Motel owners look to future to preserve historic past
County to look into natural gas expansion By BRITTANY SVOBODA bsvoboda@centrecountygazette.com
BELLEFONTE — To assess the possibility of natural gas expansion, Centre County has partnered with other counties and other organizations. On Oct. 21, the Centre County board of commissioners approved a memorandum of understanding between the county and the Susquehanna Economic Development Association Council of Government for the Regional Gas Utilization Initiative Project. According to Susan Hannegan, assistant director for the county’s planning and community development office, Centre, Clinton and Mifflin counties have partnered with SEDA-COG to identify three areas in each county that could benefit from the expansion of natural gas services. The goal, she said, is to “extend natural gas distribution lines so that more properties can take advantage of natural gas as a fuel source.” Each county must identify three target areas for expansion. In Centre County, that includes: Milesburg, from Bald Eagle Area High School to Interstate 80; the Snow Shoe interchange going west to Mountaintop Elementary School; and a large residential area in Philipsburg Borough near the high school. Another area that should be considered, according to Commissioner Chris Exarchos, is Centre Hall and Penns Valley since the county does get requests for natural gas there. Each county must contribute $20,000 for the project, Hannegan said. SEDACOG will also contribute $20,000 and a grant through the U.S. Economic Development Administration will make up the remaining $80,000, for a total of $160,000. Centre County has already contributed the necessary funds, Commissioner Michael Pipe said. Centre County is providing staff for the project through the office of planning and community development, Hannegan said, and will be reimbursed through the project for that. Since it is costly to expand infrastructure in rural counties such as Centre County, Exarchos said this project will help unite communities and facilitate the switch from oil and electric, which can be costly, to natural gas. Another goal of this project, he said, is to find ways to keep the natural gas drilled within the county. The study to identify where natural gas is needed in the county must be finished by May, Hannegan said, and the counties should expect a report by June. A new natural gas well spud was created about two weeks ago in the Snow Shoe area, Hannegan said. While drilling did not go all the way down to the Marcellus shale layer, it’s the first activity the Gas, Page 4 Opinion ............................ 7 Health & Wellness ......... 8, 9
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By BRITTANY SVOBODA bsvoboda@centrecountygazette.com
CHRIS MORELLI/The Gazette
DOORS OPEN: The Pennsylvania Career Link in Centre County opened at its new location, 240 Match Factory Place in Bellefonte, on Oct. 20. Pictured, from left, are Centre County Commissioner Steve Dershem; Erica Mulberger, executive director of the Central Pennsylvania Workforce Development Corporation; and Todd Taylor, development corporation board member.
Career Link operation moves into new facility By CHRIS MORELLI editor@centrecountygazette.com
BELLEFONTE — When it comes to finding a job in Centre County, Pennsylvania Career Link is a great resource. When the Centre County office outgrew its old space, it need to find a larger place to call home base. That spot is in Bellefonte’s Match Factory. On Oct. 20, the doors at 240 Match Factory Place officially opened for business. For the workers at Career Link, the move wasn’t extremely taxing. In fact, the move was right next door in the Match Factory. Erica Mulberger, executive director of the Central Pennsylvania Workforce Development Corporation, explained that Career Link simply needed a larger facility. “We had a large number of participants coming to our Bellefonte site before right next door. We wanted to come to a larger space,” Mulberger said. “Here, we have more visibility from the road. With the larger space, we can provide more services. It didn’t take a lot of renovations to meet our needs. We’re very pleased with the facility.” The new facility features resources for job seekers. There are several banks of
Education .................. 10, 11 Community ............... 12-14
Gazette Gameday ...... 15-18 Gazette Picks .................. 19
computers where Centre County residents can look and apply for jobs. There’s also classroom space where instructors can help job seekers polish their resumes, brush up on computer programs and work on interviewing skills. According to Mulberger, having more space is vital to the continued success of Career Link. “We have a great computer resource area now. People can come in, search for jobs, get job training skills, learn to write a resume, things like that,” Mulberger explained. “We have more classroom space so employers can come (here) and do interviews. If they don’t have enough space at their facility, they can do it here. We can also have small job fairs here.” Centre County Commissioner Steve Dershem sits on the local elected officials board for the development corporation. He stopped by to tour the new facility on its opening day. “These folks do some amazing work,” Dershem said of Career Link. “They reach out to just about every level of our society, every age group and take care of job training and job education. They work with employers. They provide a fantastic function for our community.” Career Link, Page 6 Sports ......................... 19-23 Arts & Entertainment 24, 25
STATE COLLEGE — Despite threats of foreclosure and a lawsuit, the Autoport Motel and Clem’s Roadside Bar and Grill owners are looking toward the future and staying on track with attempting to build their business. Co-owners Greg Mussi and his wife, Lynda, have been running the Autoport for about seven years now. The two bought the business when it was in danger of being demolished. “We just fell in love with the place,” Mussi said, adding that restoring the outdated motel rooms was always a priority, but the capital to do so hasn’t always been available. “(We didn’t realize) how much of an undertaking it really is,” he said. “Not just running it, but repairing it. Being Pennsylvania’s first motel, it’s old and age causes issues with infrastructure. I think we underestimated the scope of the work that needed to be done. “As a result, we got ourselves into some serious financial problems with the bank. Those are things we’re trying to correct right now.” To jumpstart a new era of the Autoport and begin needed improvements, the Mussis applied to the Travel Channel’s “Hotel Impossible,” which Mussi said helped them realize what they needed to improve upon. They also partnered with barbecue expert Clem Pantalone to rebrand the restaurant. Motel, Page 5
BRITTANY SVOBODA/The Gazette
FIRED UP: Clem Pantalone grills ribs in the parking lot of the Autoport recently. The motel was featured on a recent episode of the Travel Channel’s “Hotel Impossible.”
What’s Happening .... 26, 27 Puzzles ............................ 28
Business ..................... 29, 30 Classified ........................ 31